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At least three people were reported killed in an attack on Monday on a Greek-owned ship in the Red Sea. The assault comes just a day after Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a similar assault on another ship in this vital sea crossing. NPR's Ruth Sherlock looks into why these attacks are happening.
RUTH SHERLOCK, BYLINE: Working on ships in the Red Sea, a historic trading route, can be dangerous these days.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Non-English language spoken).
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SHERLOCK: Footage from onboard the MV Magic Seas shows the moments after the vessel was attacked by Yemen's Houthi rebels this week. Alarms sound as crew members wearing life jackets leave the ship's bridge, where shattered glass from the windows lies on the navigation equipment.
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SHERLOCK: Then on Monday night, another attack - this time against the bulk carrier Eternity C. Rebels in speedboats fired rocket-propelled grenades at the Greek-owned ship, and drones dropped explosives from above. The EU Naval mission in the region said three crew members died in the assault, and Ellie Shafik, the head of intelligence for the maritime risk management firm Vanguard Tech, said the situation remained unsafe on Tuesday.
ELLIE SHAFIK: We are aware that the Houthi skiffs continue to circle around it, making intervention or assistance and evacuation for the crew incredibly challenging.
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YAHYA SARE: (Speaking Arabic).
SHERLOCK: In a statement posted on Telegram, Yahya Sare, a Houthi military spokesman, said they'd attacked to prevent any ship dealing with, quote, "the Israeli enemy."
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SARE: (Speaking Arabic).
SHERLOCK: It's part of an ongoing campaign by the Houthis in response to Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. They have targeted more than a hundred merchant ships with missiles and drones. The attacks have prevented ships reaching the Israeli port of Eilat and have reduced the flow of trade through this narrow sea corridor which connects Africa, Asia and Europe. Seven seafarers have now died in the violence. After the Liberia-flagged Eternity C vessel was attacked, the Liberia delegation to the United Nations expressed outrage.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: It is totally unacceptable, unwarranted and illogical for ships to be attacked on political grounds, and this is wrong.
SHERLOCK: Mohammed Basha, the founder of the Basha Report, a Virginia-based risk advisory, believes the attacks were intended to coincide with a visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House.
MOHAMMED BASHA: The Houthis appear to be using this moment to send a calculated message to encourage both the Israelis and the administration here in the U.S. to push for a broader truce with Gaza (ph) to cement the talks.
SHERLOCK: With the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah and Hamas severely weakened by the wars with Israel in Lebanon and Gaza, Basha says the Houthi attacks on ships are also meant to send a message that they're now the leading militia against Israel and the West in the region.
BASHA: They're reinforcing their emerging role as the tip of the spear for the axis of resistance.
SHERLOCK: He says as long as the war in Gaza remains, the Houthis will likely continue their attacks in the Red Sea. Ruth Sherlock, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF PARTYAT4 SONG, "FWM") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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